Comstockery
"Comstockery" is a word named after Anthony Comstock (1844-1915), who created the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1873. In 1873, an amendment to the Post Office Act made…
Archive for 06/2012
Beltway Bandit
Washington, DC, is encircled by Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway). Many government workers retire on a pension and then set up consulting firms along the Beltway. These highly paid individuals --…
Stato Institute (Cato Institute nickname)
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank founded in 1976 and located in Washington, DC. Some critics believe that Cato isn't truly libertarian enough and is too statist, supporting a…
Beltwaytarian
Washington, DC, is surrounded by a highway called the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495). Someone who is "inside the Beltway" is a Washington (or federal government) insider; someone…
“Walk softly and carry a bent stick” (archery adage)
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) wrote in January 1900, "I have always been fond of the West African proverb 'Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.'"…
EuroStash (developing a basketball player in European leagues)
A "EuroStash" (or "Euro stash") is when a National Basketball Association team drafts a player to play in the European leagues (like a minor league baseball farm system) until…
“Hockey players have fire in their hearts and ice in their veins”
"Hockey players have fire in their hearts and ice in their veins" is a saying on many lists of hockey quotations and is one that has been printed on several gift items. The saying has…
“Skiing is the only sport where you can spend an arm and a leg to break an arm and a leg”
"Skiing is the only sport where you can spend an arm and a leg to break an arm and a leg" is a jocular saying about skiing that has been cited in print since at least 1990 and that has…
“Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads”
"Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads" (or "Skiing is the ultimate dance, and/but the mountain always leads") is a popular skiing saying. Jim Bowden, of Colorado,…
“Skiing: the art of catching cold and going broke while rapidly heading nowhere at great risk”
"Skiing: the art of catching cold and going broke while rapidly heading nowhere at great personal risk" is usually credited to "anonymous" or "author unknown" or…
“A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not”
"A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not" means that even a leader's flaws (something not intended to be seen) are examples of leadership. The popular saying is…
“The sports page records people’s accomplishments and the front page has nothing but man’s failures”
Many people read the sports section of a newspaper first, even before the front page. One famous person who did this was Earl Warren (1891-1974), the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme…
Clothespin Vote
A clothespin is a pin (often made of wood, with a small spring) used to hang wet clothes on a clothesline -- the usual way clothes were dried before electric dryers. Newspaper cartoonists often…
“The man who rows the boat generally doesn’t have time to rock it” (political proverb)
To "rock the boat" means to change or disturb an existing situation. "The man who rows the boat generally doesn't have time to rock it" is a political proverb that means…
“The trouble with being a good sport is that you have to lose to prove it”
A person who accepts a loss without whining (such as complaining about the officials) is said to be "a good sport." A good sport says nice and gracious comments about the winner.…
“Gymnastics: Flying without wings” (gymnastics saying)
"Gymnastics: Flying without wings" has been a gymnastics saying since at least 2009. The authorship of the saying is not known. A similar gymnastics saying is "If you don't…
“If you don’t leap, you’ll never know what it’s like to fly” (gymnastics saying)
"If you don't leap, you'll never know what it's like to fly" appeared in the book The Secret of Letting Go (1990) by self-help author Guy Finley. The saying was initially…
“Champions are made when nobody is watching” (sports and exercise adage)
"Champions/winners are made when no one/nobody is watching/looking" is a popular sports adage to encourage practice and training -- things that sports fans usually don't see.…
“Leadership is the ability to hide your panic from others”
"Leadership is the ability to hide your panic from others" is a popular saying meaning that leaders must remain calm while making tough decisions. "The greatest quality of leadership…
“Winners train, losers complain” (exercise adage)
"Winners train, losers complain" is a popular T-shirt slogan that has been cited in print since at least 2000. The author of the saying is unknown. "Winners train, whiners…